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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29538183">Buffy's Freedom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LydiaBlue/pseuds/LydiaBlue'>LydiaBlue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:55:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29538183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LydiaBlue/pseuds/LydiaBlue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy leaves.  The Scoobies are surprised how.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Buffy's Freedom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buffy’s Freedom</p><p> </p><p>Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer</p><p>Disclaimer:  I don’t own anything Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it all belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.  If you recognize parts, they are from episodes of Buffy completely paraphrased from memory so if the quote is wrong its cause I didn’t want to rewatch the scene to get the exact wording.</p><p> </p><p>Synopsis: Buffy leaves.  The Scoobies are surprised how.</p><p> </p><p>Author’s note:  Grammar is not my strong suit, I can write well but punctuation and formatting is not the best.  I do check through but I will make some errors.</p><p> </p><p>AN2: I love using the ending of Chosen as my jumping off point, it might look similar but it’s not.</p><p> </p><p>Reviews are welcome and appreciated.</p><p>*************************************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>After sliding off the school bus, Buffy absently hugs Dawn and  keeps walking towards the crater that used to be Sunnydale.  She looks out across the expanse of desert and sighs.  <i>It’s over, I’m finally done.  Goodbye, Spike.  Thank You.</i></p><p> </p><p>Buffy hears the sound of an approaching car but it is too far for anybody else to hear except the Slayers.  She knows her time is running out.</p><p> </p><p>“Whistler!! I need to talk to you!!” Buffy yells, hoping that it works and he comes because she needs to talk to the Powers.</p><p> </p><p>Whistler appears a few feet in front of Buffy, just a few inches away from the crater.  “Hey, kid.  You are lucky you are a favorite of the Powers or that wouldn’t have worked.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad it did because I need you to talk to the Powers for me.  I need a favor.”  Buffy is focused on Whistler but all the Scoobies are looking around confused because they don’t know who Whistler is or how he just appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Buffy, the Powers are not in the habit of giving out favors.  They’re more of a quid pro quo kinda entity.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’ll tell them what I want and you can give me options of what I can do to make it happen.  Sound good?”  Buffy questioned.  Giles heads toward Buffy and quietly asks her “What are you doing?”  Buffy turns slightly, “What I have to do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ok Buff.  The Powers agree to hear you out.  But you have to know, they might not be able to do what you want them to.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s fine.  I need them to reverse the spell that Willow did and if possible take the essence from me as well.”  Buffy said.  Whistler smiled and tilted his head like he was listening to someone.</p><p> </p><p>The Scoobies started yelling asking what she was doing.  Kennedy could be heard over everybody yelling, “You bitch, you can’t take this from us.  We earned this.  You are being selfish.”</p><p> </p><p>Whistler cleared his throat and when that didn’t work, he whistled. Buffy laughed quietly causing Whistler to glare at her.  “The Powers agreed to reverse the spell, anyone who was made a Slayer as a result of Willow’s spell will have the power taken from them.  The line of potentials will be restored so those who are meant to become the Slayer, will activate when they were originally meant to.  I’m sorry but the Powers cannot take the Slayer essence from you but they decided that you will no longer be the active Slayer.”</p><p> </p><p>“What does that mean? Am I retired?” Buffy questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“In the grand scheme of things, it actually didn’t change much because you have not been the active Slayer since you faced the Master and died.  The line shifted away from you at that time.  The Watcher’s Council knew this, but saw you as an extra Slayer so treated you as they would any other instead of releasing you as they should have.  The Powers realized that this was not a fair trade so they are giving you some extras.  A few you won’t find out until later because they needed to get an intermediary to accomplish some tasks.  Someone like me but they have a different job.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait a minute.  So you’re telling me that I didn’t have to do any of this.  I could have left and just said ‘Fuck it’ at any point.”  Buffy said, aggravated that the Council would use her like that.</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.  You could have, which is why the Powers are actually giving you a boon but that is part of the things you’ll find out later.  As for your extras.  Magic will never affect you again.  You will not be able to have spells used on you or be able to help in spells.  The Powers are taking back the Key, before you yell at me, they are leaving Dawn but taking everything related to the Key from her, so no one will be able to use her to open worlds.  Finally, while you are still the Slayer, no supernatural entity will be able to discern that fact.  To them, you will be a normal person.  They might try to attack you like they would a normal person but it would never be because you are the Slayer, most likely just because you are a hot blonde.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you so much!!!” Buffy steps forward and hugs Whistler.  She whispers to him, “They know what I plan to do don’t they.  This is their way to help isn’t it?”  Whistler nods his head and lets her go and steps back.</p><p> </p><p>“I think that’s it.  Buffy, it’s been awesome meeting you and seeing how much you have grown.  The Powers are proud, they would not have let me appear to just anyone calling.”  Whistler waves and disappears.</p><p> </p><p>Buffy can hear that the car has almost reached them.  Everybody turns to look at the car that is driving up. </p><p> </p><p>“Buffy, what was that?  Why would you reverse the spell?  You are the one who talked me into doing it.  And what was that with not being the Slayer anymore?  Of course, you are the Slayer.”  Willow asks.  Kennedy is standing next to her looking angry and the rest of the Scoobies are looking at her wanting answers too.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, Willow, that was me restoring the Balance.  The Balance that you screwed up when you selfishly called me back from Heaven.  I realized something when we were down in the Hellmouth.  I was the reason that the First was back.  I was the reason we were in this fight.  You made me responsible for the deaths of all those girls.  I decided to fix it.  Whistler is the Balance demon I met when we went up against Alcathla.  He appeared then and I hoped he would appear now.  The Balance has been skewed since I was brought back two years ago so I tried to fix it.  If it meant giving up that part of me, so be it.”</p><p> </p><p>“How can you say that, being the Slayer is a big part of who you are.”  Willow said.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you know he would come?” Giles asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t.  I took a chance and it paid off.  The Slayer line is now back down to one, like it was always supposed to be.  I was saved by a boy in love and I guess that the Powers couldn’t undo that so they released me instead.  Or really they informed me of my inactive status.  The line flows through Faith.” Buffy looks at Faith and smiles letting her know she believes in her with just a look. “She is the active Slayer.  I am officially retired.”  Buffy looks so excited.</p><p> </p><p>The car Buffy has been waiting for comes to a stop next to the school bus.  A man steps out.  He looks to be in his early forties with dirty blonde hair.  He stays standing next to the car with the driver’s side door open.  He looks over all the people in the group before seeing Buffy and smiles. “Hey sweetie, you ready to go.  Did you manage to save anything or will we need to go shopping?”</p><p> </p><p>“Daddy!” Dawn says and runs towards the man and hugs him.  All he does is grab her shoulders and push her away, which causes Dawn to frown confused about what’s going on.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Dad.  Yeah, I saved a lot.  It’s in a storage facility down the road.  I got all of mom’s stuff and a lot of my clothes and sentimental stuff like pictures.”  Buffy said walking towards her dad but goes to the passenger door.</p><p> </p><p>“Buffy, what’s going on. Why is he acting like he doesn’t know me?  I’m his daughter.” Dawn asks, confused.</p><p> </p><p>Buffy looks at her weird.  “No you’re not.”</p><p> </p><p>Dawn gets angry at that, “What are you talking about of course I am? I am his daughter and your sister.”</p><p> </p><p>Buffy looks at her incredulously.  “You actually believe that don’t you.”</p><p> </p><p>“WHAT?”  Dawn looks at everybody but they look just as confused as she does. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Of course I believe that, it’s the truth.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s not.  Come on Dawn, you’re smart.  You should have figured this out.”  Buffy smirks.</p><p> </p><p>“How would I have figured this out, I haven’t talked to him since about a year after we came to Sunnydale after that summer when you went to LA and I stayed at the house with mom.  He has been nonexistent.”  </p><p> </p><p>Buffy looks at her dad and shrugs, “Dawn, the spell the monks did only affected Sunnydale.  Nobody outside of Sunnydale knows you exist.  I have been talking to dad at least once a week since we moved here.  He never mentioned you.  I think he thought you were one of my friends.  I finally asked last year and he didn't know you as his daughter just as someone I talk about a lot.  I didn't say anything because you didn't seem to care about dad, even before Mom died.  You ranted at me the few times I mentioned him.  He sends me money all the time.  I mean, how did you think we miraculously afforded the mortgage and all the bills for the house on just my wages from the Doublemeat?  I know you didn’t think Willow was paying for anything, she’s been mooching off me for years.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, that’s not true.” Willow says angrily.</p><p> </p><p>“That can’t be right.” Dawn says sadly.</p><p> </p><p>“Willow you lived in my house from the time I died until it blew up, you never once paid a bill with your own money.  That’s mooching.”  Buffy sarcastically explains. “Of course, it’s right, Dawn.  The monks probably didn’t expect me to survive to leave the Hellmouth or even want to so they didn’t need to extend the radius of the spell.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ok but what happens now.  Since we have to leave Sunnydale.”  Dawn inquires.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know what you’re doing but I’m getting in this car and living with my father in his LA house for hopefully only a few days until I hear from the Powers then he has to get back to his job in Spain where I will be living with him and my new mommy.” Buffy giggles at the end.  Hank looks at her in exasperation and rolls his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“But what about me.” Dawn says in a sad voice.</p><p> </p><p>“What about you?  I was thinking of taking you with me but then you decided you could take care of yourself when you kicked me out of my mother’s house.  You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”  Buffy turns and opens the car door.  Hank gets into the car.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you know to get your stuff out before the town collapsed?”  Faith asked.</p><p> </p><p>Buffy turns and winks at Faith, “I’ve been gradually moving my stuff out for about a year and a half.  After I was pulled from paradise, I felt like this was Hell.  Tara was the only one who talked to me about it and understood how I was feeling.  I wanted away from it all.  The only room I had left to clear out was mine before the First appeared.  I didn’t want any of the furniture.  All of mom’s stuff was the first I cleared.  No one noticed that for the last two weeks there were no family pictures, only art pieces that aren’t worth anything.  My room only had a few outfits by the time I got kicked out.  Spike helped me move most of it.”  </p><p> </p><p>Faith started to laugh, “Damn, B.”</p><p> </p><p>“Go to Angel, Faith.  Tell him that the second wave isn’t needed.  You’re the Slayer now.  The one and only.  When I get a new phone, I’ll get you the number.  If you have an all hands on deck kind of apocalypse, call me.  I like the post prison Faith, she mellowed a little. Keep in touch.  Don’t let anyone tell you how to act, they destroyed our friendship when I fell from their pedestal.  Now I will live my life how I want to.”  Buffy smiled and got in the car.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone was gobsmacked that she just left them all standing there.  After watching the tail lights for a little while, everybody piled into the school bus and headed towards LA.</p>
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